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Sidelines Kalani Simpson |
For Wahine, it’s time
for real thingWHAT kind of idiot/fool/stupidhead (I'm thumbing through the thesaurus under the heading "sports columnist") would all but ignore the No. 2 team in the country?
Be assured, my lack of attendance at Rainbow Wahine volleyball matches for much of this season has haunted me.
Guilt? I've got it.
Excuses? None.
Well, except that it's hard to find an angle to write about with competition that isn't. When you know beforehand, with absolute certainty, who is going to win and who is going to lose (right down to how much time it will take).
Great team, subpar schedule.
But luckily, here comes the real thing. Here comes Hawaii volleyball in all its slamming glory, the Stan Sheriff Center rocking, hoping for a sendoff to the final four.
And here comes my second chance.
>> Just when we thought football season was pau and we could finally breathe easy for a couple of weeks, here's another could-be controversy, just in time for the bowl game.
But it's good to see UH taking a strong stand for the Western Athletic Conference's academic eligibility rules.
Let's hope the computers don't glitch.
And if they do, I guess we all get Christmas off.
>> They would still have the Hawaii Bowl halftime show, yeah?
>> You can almost imagine Hawaii Bowl executive director Jim Donovan jumping in to correct those finals himself.
>> I like this second season opener thing Rainbow basketball has happening right now.
A loss in their first game, a nice run to the final of the Maui Invitational, a disappointing second half in the tournament's championship game. Fine. Hawaii wasn't quite ready to go yet.
But then came a chance to regroup, another exhibition (most teams get to have these before the games count), more preparation time, and then a fresh start next Monday against Oregon State.
Now let's see what they've got.
>> I have to admit, Pisa Tinoisamoa is doing much better in the NFL than I ever dreamed. He's on the right team at the right time. And it turns out he's the right guy, too.
>> A well-deserved honor for Travis LaBoy as WAC Defensive Player of the Year after one of the great defensive seasons in UH history. Nice to see him put it all together.
And after picking him to win it twice now, I finally get something right.
>> Yes, leaving Abraham Elimimian out of the All-WAC honors was a crime ...
All Abraham did was make every play, and since opponents stayed away from Kelvin Millhouse, there were twice as many to make.
>> We all knew Chad Owens was a tough guy, but playing with gout beats everything. They should put that in his bio for postseason award consideration: "Played with gout."
>> From time to time I have shared bits and pieces of reader mail. Here, following one of my recent Football Fever handicapping performances, is an example of Boss Mail: "Hey, Kalani. 2-8. Quit already."
He meant Football Fever. I think.
See the Columnists section for some past articles.
Kalani Simpson can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com